Chapter 30: Songs and Poems (Part 1)
Don't drive into the mansion first.
Although Zhang Xuanning's new clothes were already nice, he still felt they were not enough for a visit to a mansion, so he went straight into a dressing room, washed himself from head to toe, changed into a new set of clothes, and burned incense.
When everything was done, the sunset had already risen, shining on the snow. Just as they went out of the door, they smiled at each other, one in green and the other in white. Both had handsome faces, elegant demeanors and calm manners.
Hou Xibai bowed his hands in greeting and said with a smile: "Brother Zhang is indeed a young man. This New Year, he is only seventeen years old. He is really young and romantic. I can't compare with him."
"No, Brother Hou is truly a handsome young man, his elegance and grace are unmatched!" This is the truth. Even though Zhang Xuanning can be considered handsome and has an extraordinary bearing, when it comes to details, how can he compare to Hou Xibai, the successor of the Huajian School, whose appearance and bearing have been honed to near perfection.
"Whose family are we visiting this time?" Zhang Xuanning asked casually.
"Xu Shanxin is the current Tongyi doctor. His official position is not high, but his literary talent is not bad. It is appropriate for Mr. Shang to go to his house!"
"Xu Shanxin, who exactly is he? I'm unfamiliar with all this, so I'd like to ask Brother Hou for some advice."
"Yes, that's true. It's wrong to go to the host's house without knowing the origin of the host's family. Well, this person's name is Wuben. He is from Beixincheng, Gaoyang. He is the son of Huangmen Shilang Xu Heng. He was originally from the Chen Dynasty. He was born in the second year of Yongding of Emperor Wu of Chen. He was orphaned when his father died at the age of nine. When he was a child, he was smart and thoughtful. He could recite and memorize everything he heard. It is said that there are more than 10,000 volumes of old books in his family, all of which are well-versed. He is called a child prodigy. Jiang Zong was selected as a scholar and ranked high in the exam. He was awarded the title of Duzhi Langzhong and then Shilang, and was called a historian. After the fall of Chen, he transferred to the Sui Dynasty. In the 16th year of Kaihuang, a divine bird descended on Hanzhang Pavilion. Emperor Wen summoned all officials to a banquet and told them about this auspicious omen . Shanxin asked for paper and pen at the table and composed an ode to the divine bird. It is said that Shanxin composed the text and wrote it impromptu. The text was not punctuated and the pen was not stopped. It was completed in one stroke. Emperor Wen was very happy and rewarded him generously. Now he has been promoted to Tongyi Dafu."
"Well, I see. It seems that Tongyi Doctor is a civil official under the fourth rank. He probably does not hold real power in normal times." Zhang Xuanning came to this court and paid attention. At least these official positions must be clear.
"That's true. Although he doesn't hold real power, he and Cui Zurui were ordered to compile ten volumes of Supernatural Records. His father wrote the History of Liang, but died before completing it. He continued his father's work and completed seventy volumes. He also co-wrote Regional Maps with Yu Shiji. I heard that 600 volumes are almost completed. He is a great writer of the time and should not be underestimated." Hou Xibai said seriously: "At this time, his literary talent is well-known in the world and is praised by everyone. If he strongly praises it, Brother Zhang's writing will really be heard by the world and no longer be regarded as inferior."
Zhang Xuanning bowed his hands as soon as he heard it and said, "Thank you, Brother Hou, for giving me a chance to become famous."
Seeing this, Hou Xibai couldn't help but laugh: "You didn't pay attention at first, but once you heard that it could make you famous, you immediately became respectful. Seeing how you are so eager for fame, I really don't know how you can write a quatrain like "Drinking Song". "
"My pen expresses my heart, my poems express my thoughts, nothing more than that." Zhang Xuanning said: "There are so many things in life, so many joys and sorrows, I can write poems like this, and I can also be a sharp-edged general."
People with different world and life views cannot really empathize with each other. The reason why Zhang Xuanning sang Li Bai's poems with great emotion is that Zhang Xuanning and Li Bai have similarities in some aspects of their nature.
"Well, just come with me. However, I can only arrange a middle seat for you now. But I will give Mr. Shang a message. When the time is right, I will call you out and let you make a splash. By then, don't be unable to write poetry!" Hou Xibai said after getting on the carriage.
"It doesn't matter. When the time comes, I will naturally present poems to spread my name throughout the world." Zhang Xuanning answered bluntly. At this time, he knew many sentences that would be passed down through the ages. These sentences, no matter how different the formats were, were all well-refined, profound in meaning, and resonated with people. It was not surprising that they became famous.
Going back to the past, it is natural to use poetry, but poetry is not omnipotent. If you quote a large number of poems from multiple celebrities with different techniques, each with its own artistic conception and technique, any discerning person would find it very strange and would consider it stupid. On the contrary, if you know it is useful but don't quote it, that is also a very stupid behavior.
The carriage drove into a house. Although the official's position was not high, the house was still very large. It was already dusk, and it was time to take our seat.
Hou Xibai got off the carriage and whispered a few words to a person who came to greet him. The person looked at Zhang Xuanning and nodded. Then Hou Xibai laughed and went upstairs.
"Mr. Zhang, please follow me." said the steward. He seemed to have some authority. Although Zhang Xuanning came at short notice, he made arrangements immediately.
This was Zhang Xuanning's first time to participate in a banquet hosted by an official family, but it was essentially similar to the banquet he arranged for his younger brothers in Yangzhou. On the first level, there were single seats, and double rows on the left and right of the upper seats.
The second floor is the middle seat, with double seats, that is, one seat for two people, and nearly a hundred tables. In the back, there are hundreds of tables for the lower seats.
With so many people sitting dozens of meters apart, let alone those sitting at the lower seats, even those sitting at the middle table would have difficulty seeing the faces of those sitting at the main table. Therefore, unless there were special circumstances, it was impossible for the host to notice what was happening at the middle table.
However, after all, their levels were different. The middle seat could not get close to the host and could not speak. As for the dishes and wine, they were also exquisite. Sitting at the table, next to him was an eighth-rank civil servant. He seemed a little surprised and didn't understand who the young man in front of him was.
At this moment, the welcoming music sounded and everyone had to stand up to welcome the host and distinguished guests in.
From a distance, Xu Shanxin was already fifty years old, his gray hair and beard clearly showed this. He greeted each guest. In fact, by the time he reached the center table, his words were already very unclear. But even if they couldn't hear clearly, everyone could only listen and raise their glasses to toast him from time to time.
After the ceremony, the people in the upper seats would toast each other back and forth. This had nothing to do with the people in the middle seats. In ancient times, a banquet would last from dusk to midnight, which was a long time. So people would just take out the wine and pour it for themselves.
At this time, evil energy slowly surged up, but in such an occasion, it did not seem to be murderous, but instead produced a sense of wanton romance. Zhang Xuanning savored this almost intoxicated feeling, his mind was fuzzy.
The true successors of the Evil Emperor's lineage practiced the "Dao Heart Demon Planting Method" which was even higher than the Heavenly Demon Strategy. Therefore, all the Evil Emperors in history were gifted. They were of course decisive and cruel in killing, but in life, they treated society as a matter of course, were unrestrained, not bound by any rules, and lived freely and romantically.
In the world, all these things naturally end up with the word "evil", but after "evil", there is also the word "emperor", which already shows that his extraordinary talent has attracted the attention of the world.
It seemed that countless life feelings were rising from his heart, but if he tasted them carefully, he felt that there was nothing. This contradictory feeling made Zhang Xuanning almost indifferent to everything around him. He even did not respond to the minor official's invitation to raise a glass, which made his face turn pale, and it was obvious that he was holding a grudge.
At this moment, music, singing and dancing rang out in the hall. Dozens of beautiful women, each wearing the singing and dancing costumes of that era, like layers of gauze, made their feminine charm looming. Almost everyone, under the influence of alcohol, watched with a smile and talked with the people around them.
Their dance skirts are all made of gauze. Although there are several layers, the skin is not necessarily covered. The woman's towering chest and snow-white thighs are really charming if viewed under the light!
The revealing aspects were no less than today's dance skirts, but its artistry and connotation were far beyond what modern people could compare to. After all, that woman made a living from this all her life, and as a family prostitute, her honor and disgrace were subject to others. How could she be the slightest bit arrogant or lazy?
We should strive for excellence.
